It was a perfect lightweight storm in Las Vegas this past Saturday.
UFC 317 wrapped up International Fight Week. The 155-pound title was on the line, newly vacated by Islam Makhachev's move to welterweight. Ilia Topuria was the prohibitive betting favorite against Charles Oliveira, and he came through with flying colors and a first-round knockout to enter the history books as the 10th two-division champion.
But in the crowd were three key members of the lightweight division, all with a very vested interest in Topuria's KO. Arman Tsarukyan was supposed to fight Makhachev for the lightweight belt in January, but had to pull out on weigh-in day. At UFC 317, he was brought in to be the backup for the vacant title fight, and he made weight without issue – which presumably made him, still, the de facto next in line.
But former interim champion and former BMF beltholder Justin Gaethje was there and said he's willing to walk away for good if he doesn't get the next title shot. And so, too, was the surging Brit Paddy Pimblett, whose verbal sparring with Topuria has potentially lit a spark on the entertainment side of things.
It was Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) who was brought into the cage for an impromptu faceoff with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), moments after the Spaniard had the belt. And according to Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), and UFC CEO Dana White, that was something that should not have happened, but longtime UFC analyst and commentator Joe Rogan brought Pimblett into the cage.
White was not thrilled about it afterward, and Tsarukyan said he had some tense moments afterward. Then he heard White mostly shoot down the Pimblett faceoff, despite the fact it happened.
"For the first 20, 30 minutes I was, of course, upset," Tsarukyan told Daniel Cormier, who was calling the fights with Rogan and Jon Anik. "I said, 'This is not a sport. This is WWE. They can do whatever they want to do.'"
Rogan used to call nearly every UFC event cageside. In recent years, he's more known for his controversial podcast and the paycheck that came with its sale than he is for being present at UFC events. He now typically only calls U.S.-based pay-per-views, which means he's only working a dozen or fewer events a year.
Tsarukyan said he was as surprised as anyone when Pimblett was brought in.
"It was a Joe Rogan mistake. Joe Rogan called him. It was a Joe Rogan mistake, and he shouldn't have called him into the octagon," Tsarukyan said. "I was surprised, but when Dana said it shouldn't be like that, I was like, 'OK, hopefully he's not fighting for the title.'"
Topuria thinks Tsarukyan needs to win a fight at lightweight after pulling out against Makhachev, even though he made weight this past week as the backup. But Tsarukyan said it's hard for anyone else but him to make a case as Topuria's first test at 155 pounds.
"I've been fighting everybody, had a good winning streak against top fighters," Tsarukyan said. "When I listened to Dana's interview about Paddy, I said hopefully he's not fighting for the title. They must put me in the title fight because I'm the No. 1 contender and I'm the most deserving fighter right now. After me, (Pimblett and Topuria) can fight. But next, it's me for sure.
"I know (I'm the only one who) can beat Topuria."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan after UFC 317: 'This is not a sport, this is WWE'
